1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to clocks, but more particularly to clocks useful for instruction in how to read time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Time is the means by which we measure duration and mark the occurrence of events. The incremental measurement of time provides a basis for the concepts of past, present and future, and provides a frame of reference about which we order our existence. The accurate measurement of an interval of time requires a regularly repeating occurrence or phenomenon against which it can be compared, such as the alteration of light and dark which comprises a day.
Measuring the passage of time and reading time are two separate aspects of the general concept of time. An analog clock having hands that move at a regular pace to measure minute and hour intervals is perhaps the most common device used for both measuring the passage of time and for reading time. The typical analog clock includes a face having the integers one through twelve equally spaced and arranged consecutively about the perimeter of the face. The face may also include further markings to visually indicate the minute intervals. A minute hand and an hour hand attached at the center of the face move around in a circular fashion and point to numbers which indicate the time. It is believed that a digital clock, while useful for reading the time, does not facilitate the understanding of or the visual observance of the passage of time.
Time can be a difficult concept for children to understand, and learning to tell time and to read time may prove to be a formidable task. Any type of visual aid that allows a child to make familiar associations in learning how time is measured and read quickly becomes an essential teaching tool. It is believed that, in school, a six-year-old is only taught to tell time by the quarter-hour. The clock of the present invention, however, allows a child to observe the passage of time and to read the exact time as soon as he or she able to recognize numbers, usually at the age of four years. Also, because children respond visually to colors at a very early age, the clock of the present invention may incorporate coordinated colors to further facilitate the learning process.
In teaching children how to tell time, it is difficult to convey the concept that as the hour hand moves from one number to the next, corresponding to the passage of one hour, the minute hand completes one entire revolution about the face of the clock, also corresponding to one hour or sixty minutes. It is also difficult to teach children to actually read the time by observing the position of the hour and minute hand on the face of the clock. There are no visual indications on the face to convey the concept that the one o'clock hour, for example, includes all readings of time when the hour hand is positioned between the one and the two on the clock face. Moreover, there are no indications on the face which allow one to make a direct reading of the time by observing the exact position of the hands on the face of the clock relative to numbers corresponding to the time.
The art to which the present invention pertains includes a clock manufactured by Spartan comprising a circular face having the integers one to twelve positioned radially about the perimeter as on a conventional clock, the integers one to sixty positioned radially about the face adjacent the integers one to twelve, the words one to twelve contained within a segmented band positioned radially about the face adjacent the integers one to sixty, an hour hand resembling a Crayola crayon attached to the face at its center point and extending to the numbers one through twelve, and a minute hand resembling a Crayola crayon attached to the face at its center point and extending to the numbers one through sixty. The hour and minute hands are different colors, and each segment of the band containing the words one to twelve is a different color.
The inventive clock combines the features of an analog clock and a digital clock in that it allows a person to read the actual time as soon as he or she is able to recognize numbers and to grasp the "passage of time" concept by observing the movement of hands about the face of the clock. Accordingly, a person can read the time, as if reading the display on a digital clock, by reading the numbers corresponding to the positions of the hour and minute hand. Also, a person can gain an understanding of the passage of time, as with a conventional analog clock, by observing the movements of the hands about the face of the clock corresponding to the passage of minutes or hours. Until now, it is believed that such a clock specifically designed for instruction in how to read time has not been invented.